Presents documents, transcripts of speeches, photographs, political cartoons, and campaign materials to define the status of the Republican Party in the early 21st century.

Chapter 1. The legacy of Abraham Lincoln. Jeffersonian roots, Republican Party platform, June 18, 1856 ; "We are not enemies," Abraham Lincoln's First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1861 ; "With malice toward none," Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865 ; "The punishment of belligerent traitors," Thaddeus Stevens's speech on Reconstruction, March 19, 1867 ; The compromise choice, James Garfield's Inaugural Address, March 4, 1881 ; "Obstructions in the national house," Thomas Brackett Reed, North American Review, October 1889 ; "Legislation helpful to producers is beneficial to all," William McKinley's First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1897 -- Chapter 2. Progressives to 1940. "Dangers that threaten representative government," Robert La Follette's address to the State Agricultural Society at Milwaukee, September 1898 ; Remnants of Reconstruction, Republican Party platform, June 21, 1904 ; The beginnings of new nationalism, Theodore Roosevelt's nomination acceptance speech, July 27, 1904 ; "A government through parties," Joe Cannon's speech following the March Revolt, March 19, 1910 ; New nationalism, Theodore Roosevelt's speech at the John Brown celebration, August 31, 1910 ; A government of laws, Republican Party platform, June 18, 1912 ; "On popular unrest," William H. Taft's campaign speech, October 22, 1912 ; "Principles and ideals of the United States government," Herbert Hoover's campaign speech, October 22, 1928 ; Limited government, Republican Party platform, 1932 ; Democracy in the Republican Party, Wendell Willkie's nomination acceptance speech, August 17, 1940 -- Chapter 3. The emerging party, 1944-1964. "The ablest men and women," Thomas Dewey's nomination acceptance speech, June 28, 1944 ; "The enemies from within," Joe McCarthy's anticommunist speech, February 9, 1950 ; The Checkers speech, Richard Nixon's "fund speech," September 23, 1952 ; "A party of the future," Dwight D. Eisenhower's nomination acceptance, August 23, 1956 ; The military-industrial complex, Dwight Eisenhower's farewell speech, January 17, 1961 ; Extremism in the Republican Party, Nelson Rockefeller's speech at the Republican National Convention, July 14, 1964 ; Extremism is no vice, Barry Goldwater's nomination acceptance speech, July 16, 1964 ; "A time for choosing," Ronald Reagan's campaign speech, October 27, 1964 -- Chapter 4. Republicans 1968-1988. "Negotiate from strength," Richard Nixon's nomination acceptance speech, August 8, 1968 ; Attack on the intellectual elite, Spiro Agnew's campaign speech, May 22, 1970 ; The politics of people, Richard Nixon's nomination acceptance speech, August 23, 1972 ; "I have never been a quitter," Richard Nixon's resignation, August 8, 1974 ; "Government is the problem," Ronald Reagan's First Inaugural Address, January 20, 1981 ; The "evil empire," Ronald Reagan's speech to the National Association of Evangelicals, March 8, 1983 ; "A springtime of hope," Ronald Reagan's nomination acceptance speech, August 23, 1984. Chapter 5. Republican revolution. "A thousand points of light," George H.W. Bush's nomination acceptance speech, August 18, 1988 ; Beginnings of the culture war, Patrick J. Buchanan's Republican National Convention speech, August 17, 1992 ; "I am responsible," George H.W. Bush's address on the results of the presidential election, November 7, 1992 ; The "contract with America," Newt Gingrich's speech on opening day of the 104th Congress, January 4, 1995 ; "We are the party," Robert Dole's nomination acceptance speech, August 15, 1996 ; "No one is above the law," Henry Hyde's speech to the Senate on the impeachment of President Bill Clinton, February 8, 1999 -- Chapter 6. The Bush years: 9/11, Iraq, and Republican decline. Compassionate conservatism, George W. Bush's First Inaugural Address, January 20, 2001 ; The "Axis of evil," George W. Bush's State of the Union Address, January 29, 2002 ; "The smoking gun ... in the form of a mushroom cloud," George W. Bush's address to the nation on Iraq, October 7, 2002 ; "Mission accomplished," George W. Bush's address from USS Abraham Lincoln, May 1, 2003 ; "Our strategy is succeeding," George W. Bush's nomination acceptance speech, September 2, 2004 ; A time of change, George W. Bush's news conference on the election results, November 8, 2006 -- Chapter 7. The Obama years. "Your average hockey mom," Sarah Palin's address to the Republican National Convention, September 3, 2008 ; "I work for you," John McCain's nomination acceptance speech, September 4, 2008 ; "How's that hopey-changey stuff working out for you?," Sarah Palin's address at the inaugural Tea Party convention, February 6, 2010 ; "We voted for an idea," Paul Ryan's speech at Georgetown University, April 26, 2012 ; "It is not what we were promised," Mitt Romney's nomination acceptance speech, August 30, 2012 ; The "47 percent," Mitt Romney's answer at a fund-raiser, September 19, 2012 ; "Excessive political polarization," Olympia Snowe's farewell to the Senate, December 13, 2012 ; "Crying out for change," Rand Paul's response to the State of the Union Address, February 12, 2013.